Fear of bad ideas (Seth Godin's blog)

A few people are afraid of good ideas, ideas that make a difference or contribute in some way. Good ideas bring change, that's frightening.

But many people are petrified of bad ideas. Ideas that make us look stupid or waste time or money or create some sort of backlash.
The problem is that you can't have good ideas unless you're willing to generate a lot of bad ones.
Painters, musicians, entrepreneurs, writers, chiropractors, accountants--we all fail far more than we succeed. We fail at closing a sale or playing a note. We fail at an idea for a series of paintings or the theme for a trade show booth.
But we succeed far more often than people who have no ideas at all.
Someone asked me where I get all my good ideas, explaining that it takes him a month or two to come up with one and I seem to have more than that. I asked him how many bad ideas he has every month. He paused and said, "none."
And there, you see, is the problem.

Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce | Video on TED.com

A larger argument about the nature of choice and happiness.
Malcolm Gladwell on spaghetti sauce | Video on TED.com

What Really Motivates Workers by Teresa M. Amabile and Steven J. Kramer

Understanding the power of progress.

The Problem.

Ask leaders what they think makes employees enthusiastic about work, and they’ll tell you in no uncertain terms. In a recent survey we invited more than 600 managers from dozens of companies to rank the impact on employee motivation and emotions of five workplace factors commonly considered significant: recognition, incentives, interpersonal support, support for making progress, and clear goals. “Recognition for good work (either public or private)” came out number one.
Unfortunately, those managers are wrong.

What Matters Now: get the free ebook (by Seth Godin)

Now, more than ever, we need to shake things up.

Now, more than ever, we need a different way of thinking, a useful way to focus and the energy to turn the game around. I hope a new ebook I've organized will get you started on that path. It took months, but I think you'll find it worth the effort. (Download here).
Here are more than seventy big thinkers, each sharing an idea for you to think about as we head into the new year. From bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert to brilliant tech thinker Kevin Kelly, from publisher Tim O'Reilly to radio host Dave Ramsey, there are some important people riffing about important ideas here. The ebook includes Tom Peters, Jackie Huba and Jason Fried, along with Gina Trapani, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber.

Here's the deal: it's free. Download it here. Or from any of the many sites around the web that are posting it with insightful commentary. Tweet it, email it, post it on your own site. I think it might be fun to make up your own riff and post it on your blog or online profile as well. It's a good exercise. Can we get this in the hands of 5 million people? You can find an easy to use version on Scribd as well and from wepapers. Please share.

Have fun. Here's to a year with ideas even bigger than these.
Here's a lens with all the links plus an astonishing array of books by our authors.

Kwaliteit in de uitverkoop → Hoe de markt radicaal verandert

Chris Anderson, hoofdredacteur van het nieuwe-mediatijdschrift Wired, ziet Google als het business model van de toekomst. Google, met een omzet van dertig miljard dollar en twintigduizend mensen in dienst, geeft al zijn producten gratis weg. Maar gratis is nooit voor niets.


EEN PAAR JAAR TERUG vertrok vanaf Union Square, downtown San Francisco, een door biobrandstof aangedreven busje naar Mountain View, een dorpje naar het zuiden, net aan de rand van Silicon Valley. Het was een fijne route. De passagiers keken uit op de weelderige San Francisco bay area, groen en rijk. De chauffeur draaide de Beach Boys. Het busje stopte voor een groot complex, dat nog het meest aan een campus deed denken. Veel groen, frisse lucht uit de baai. Op een bord voor de inrit stond, zoals altijd in verschillend gekleurde letters: ‘Google’. Het was Googleplex, het hoofdkwartier van het bedrijf, ‘the Citadel of the Free’.

The unspoken rules win the game

Implementation is about exposing the unspoken rules of the game, and making them spoken. Some rituals are so deeply engrained that no one even talks about them anymore. Does "That's just the way we do things around here" sound familiar?

The working methods and the standards and values they are built on are not something that just appeared out of nowhere. Ground rules are the grease that makes the organisation and the interaction between personnel run. Some rules are set out in black and white. But most are informal and are a part of the culture in the organisation.

Some informal rules have a major impact on the success or failure of an implementation. Once in a while, the unspoken rules give rise to vicious circles of negative and repetitive events.

By opening up discussions straight across the organisation, these rules can be mapped out. How are decisions made? What do you have to do to get a compliment or a promotion? What topics are absolutely taboo in the organisation? What choices will have a negative effect on your career? What behaviour is going to get people talking?

In our implementation approach, we identify the vicious circles. And we shine a light on the unspoken rules that may be the cause of them. That's how we direct our approach at the heart of the matter.

The first shift happens on the inside

Implementation is taking the personal responsibility to be the first to make a shift. The choice of being open to change is a personal choice.

A shift is a change that represents real movement, a turnaround that is visible and tangible to all parties involved. Shifts that are made as a group are the backbone of the implementation approach. Looking for these shifts is what dictates the course and the colour of the initiative and the underlying development. For example:

solving problems yourself -> discussing problems in the group

I hold back when things get dicey -> I take my own responsibility

fighting out differences of opinion -> discussing differences of opinion

Often, we are well aware of what can be done differently and better. But everyone is also a part of a situation and an ongoing process. No one is a true outsider; everyone is also an insider.

Any implementation, large or small, starts with the question of what the individual's role in the entire process is. What does this implementation require of me? Do I want to make the investment and participate? Am I willing to take a critical look at my own contribution? These are the personal shifts.

We actively seek out these shifts. As a mirror or a catalyst. Because we know that a successful implementation starts with taking personal responsibility.